Boulder County's Caribou Ranch Open Space reopens Monday

Times-Call staff

Posted:
06/29/2013 04:21:05 PM MDT

Boulder County's Caribou Ranch Open Space area will be reopened to visitors Monday after a spring and early summer closing that has been in place to protect spring migratory birds and elk activities on parts of the property near Nederland.

The annual closing, which began April 1, has been in place to provide a balance between providing recreational activities and protecting wildlife habitats and natural resources, Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department officials have said. A local elk herd arrives every spring, with females calving on the property and remaining there until June or July, when they typically move to higher elevations.

The 2,151-acre Caribou Ranch Open Space is located between Nederland and the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, with a main visitors' access from County Road 126 west of Colo. Highway 72, the Peak to Peak Highway. It will be open to the public from sunrise to sunset.